Cray Desktop Supercomputer

Now, before I show you the cool new toy, I have to point out why I will never trust SGI / Cray again.

I had 100 shares of SGI.  July 5th 2006 they announced this:

SGI's current shareholders will receive no recovery under the plan.

I thought WTF, so I emailed them. Lisa Pistacchio emailed me back:

Upon confirmation of the Plan of Reorganization, the current SGI stock will be cancelled.
For more information, please go to www.sgi.com/reorg

My regrets. I am a shareholder, too.  

I thought WTF?

So what happened? They dropped my stocks, didn't reimburse me a dime, then immediately started selling stocks again.  It's like if you loaned your friend money because you believed in and like them; then one day they walk up to you and say "Fuck you! I'm never paying you back biotch! BTW Can you loan me some more money?"

So, while I will never trust the company again, this does look cool (if expensive). Of course, I'd rather it be AMD and OpenSolaris, but hey....

Review

General Information
Item Number	Please confirm your selection.
Configuration Date	10/21/2008 12:46:53 PM

Product Information
Model	CRAY CX1
Total Processors	8 CPUs
Total Memory	128 GB RAM
Total Storage	4280 GB

Configuration Detail

Item Type Description Quantity SKU CX1 Enclosure CXC108 1    System CXC108 Chassis 1 CXC108    Redundant Power Supplies Single Phase Hot Swap Power Module (Kit of 2) 1 CX1SPHSPM    Form Factor Deskside Rolling Tray 1 CX1DSRT    Infiniband Kit InfiniBand Switch DDR 24 Ports 1 CX1IBSWDDR24    Warranty CXC108 - 3 Years Onsite NBD - 24 x 7 Tel Support (NA) 1 CXC1083YNBD24X7NA CX1 Nodes CN5400 1    CN5400 Compute Node CN5400 (Dual Processor) 1 CN5400    Processor Xeon Quad-Core E5472 3.0GHz 12M 1600 MHz 2 H5472    Memory 4GB FBDIMM DDR2 800MHz ECC/Reg. 8 4GF8    Hard Drive 320GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 2.5" 1 320725    Remote Management Remote Management Module 1 CX1RMM    Fiber Channel LSI 7204EP-LC Dual Port 4GB FC HBA 1 LSI7204EPLCKIT    Warranty CC48/CC54 - 3 Years Onsite NBD - 24 x 7 Call Center Support (NA) 1 CC48/CC543YNBD24X7NA    Infiniband Kit InfiniBand Kit (DP) DDR 1 CX1IBKITUPDDR    Operating System Installation RH/OCS - Factory Install - Basic Services (per node) 1 CX1FOIRHHPC    Operating System Support RH/OCS - 1 Year 24 x 7 Tel and Web support, unlimited incidents 1 SRHHPC1Y24x7x1H CX1 Nodes CS5408 1    CS5408 Storage Node CS5408 (DP - 8 x HS HDD) 1 CS5408    Processor Xeon Quad-Core E5472 3.0GHz 12M 1600 MHz 2 H5472    Memory 4GB FBDIMM DDR2 800MHz ECC/Reg. 8 4GF8    Internal Fixed Hard Drive 320GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 2.5" 1 320725    Raid Controller RAID controller LSI SAS/SATA 8708EM2 8 ports, 3GB/s 1 LSI8708EM2    Battery Backup RAID Controller Optional Battery Backup LSI 8704/08EM2 1 LSIBBU6    Hot-Swap Hard Drives 250GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 2.5" Extended Duty 8 250S725EX    Remote Management Remote Management Module 1 CX1RMM    Operating System Installation RH/OCS - Factory Install - Basic Services (per node) 1 CX1FOIRHHPC    Infiniband Kit InfiniBand Kit (DP) DDR 1 CX1IBKITUPDDR    Operating System Support RH/OCS - 1 Year 24 x 7 Tel and Web support, unlimited incidents 1 SRHHPC1Y24x7x1H    Warranty CS5408 - 3 Years Onsite NBD - 24 x 7 Call Center Support (NA) 1 CS54083YNBD24X7NA CX1 Nodes CV5401 1    CV5401 Visualization Node CV5401 (DP - 1 x Graphic) 1 CV5401    Processor Xeon Quad-Core E5472 3.0GHz 12M 1600 MHz 2 H5472    Memory 4GB FBDIMM DDR2 800MHz ECC/Reg. 8 4GF8    Hard Drive 320GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 2.5" 1 320725    Video Card NVIDIA QuadroFX 5600 1 NVQFX5600    Remote Management Remote Management Module 1 CX1RMM    Warranty CV54 - 3 Years Onsite NBD - 24 x 7 Call Center Support (NA) 1 CV543YNBD24X7NA    Operating System Installation RH/OCS - Factory Install - Basic Services (per node) 1 CX1FOIRHHPC    Operating System Support RH/OCS - 1 Year 24 x 7 Tel and Web support, unlimited incidents 1 SRHHPC1Y24x7x1H    Infiniband Kit InfiniBand Kit (DP) DDR 1 CX1IBKITUPDDR CX1 Nodes CS5404 1    CS5404 Storage Node CS5404 (DP - 4 x HS HDD) 1 CS5404    Processor Xeon Quad-Core E5472 3.0GHz 12M 1600 MHz 2 H5472    Memory 4GB FBDIMM DDR2 800MHz ECC/Reg. 8 4GF8    Internal Fixed Hard Drive 320GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 2.5" 1 320725    Raid Controller RAID controller LSI SAS/SATA 8704EM2 4 ports, 3GB/s 1 LSI8704EM2    Battery Backup RAID Controller Optional Battery Backup LSI 8704/08EM2 1 LSIBBU6    Hot-Swap Hard Drives 250GB 7.2K RPM SATA 3Gbps 2.5" Extended Duty 4 250S725EX    Remote Management Remote Management Module 1 CX1RMM    Warranty CS5404 - 3 Years Onsite NBD - 24 x 7 Call Center Support (NA) 1 CS54043YNBD24X7NA    Operating System Support RH/OCS - 1 Year 24 x 7 Tel and Web support, unlimited incidents 1 SRHHPC1Y24x7x1H    Infiniband Kit InfiniBand Kit (DP) DDR 1 CX1IBKITUPDDR    Operating System Installation RH/OCS - Factory Install - Basic Services (per node) 1 CX1FOIRHHPC Power Cord (kit of 2) CX1 Power Cord USA/JP 2.5M 2 CX1PC2 Keyboard and Mouse Cordless Keyboard and Mouse MX5500 1 CX1WKBMO Monitor Samsung 30 inches LCD Monitor Black 305T 2 S305T On-Site Installation Services RH/OCS - Onsite Install - Premium Services (per CX1 system) 1 OSIPMSHPC Road Case Rugged CX1 Roadcase 1 CX1RC Unit Price $84,089.00 Quantity 1 Total Price (USD) $84,089.00

Updated bike pic

Memorial Spaceflights

I have been talking about wanting this for a long time, and it is finally available.  Well, not quite. I would rather be sent out into space rather than have some of my cremated remains sent out.  While the lowest package is only $695, I think I would rather have the Deep Space package:
Module Option (One participant, 7g)
Standard Service $25,000
Preferred Service $39,990 (please call for more information about preferred level service)

• 
  
  Launches seven grams of cremated remains, first priority, into deep space;
• 
  
  Invitation to launch and memorial services: pre-launch briefings, personal meeting and dinner with an astronaut, launch tour (when available);
• 
  
  A custom, individualized, professionally produced DVD of the launch and memorial activities;
• 
  
  Complimentary scattering of balance of remaining cremated remains at sea near the launch site;
• 
  
  Inscription of the participant’s name and message on the flight module;
• 
  
  Personalized Online Memorial, including a biography (one page — 500 words, one photo, five video and five audio clips, online Guest Book messages) placed on the Celestis Web site (additional photos are available);
• 
  
  Framed post-launch certificate;
• 
  
  Memorial urn;
• 
  
  Memorial plaque, with replica of the flight module, suitable for display in home or office;
• 
  
  Performance assurance — in the event the mission is not successful, you will have the option for a priority re-flight, at no additional cost, on the next scheduled Space Services Inc. Voyager Service launch.

Hmmm... maybe with some DNA samples :)

Motorcycle update

So I got my permit today.

I was noticing on pg 49 of the Motorcycle Manual that there is a little line by the starting point that says "More than 500cc". Well, since my is almost 1600cc, I think maybe I should figure out what I am supposed to be doing differently before I get all stressed out trying to complete the weave.

I asked the Beaverton DMV and they said they weren't sure but that it looked like maybe bigger bikes skip the first cone. They suggested calling Sherwood DMV and asking them.

Sherwood DMV looked over the picture and said that they think it means the bigger bikes make a bigger U-Turn at the end of the course. She also repeatedly told me that I have a better chance of passing the test on a smaller bike. She said it would be very hard to do the cone weave on a bigger bike.

Good thing I have a year to practice on the permit, huh?

Black Denim 2008 Harley Dyna Street Bob (FXDB)

Well, I bought me a Harley today. I'll probably be taking it home mid next week (after I get my endorsement and they get the addons installed).

The picture is a link to a bigger pic. The title is a link to the stats pre-upgrades.

Oh and in case any of you are wondering... I rode a bike for my first time today.... take my test tomorrow. Wish me luck.

[Google Blogs] 2001: A search odyssey

From Google:

9/30/2008 03:59:00 PM

Now that we're a decade old, we figured we're long overdue for some spring cleaning. We started digging around our basement and found all kinds of junk: old Swedish fish, pigeon poop, Klingon translation books. Amazingly enough, hidden in a corner beneath Larry's and Sergey's original lab coats, we found a vintage search index in mint condition. We dusted it off and took it for a spin, gobsmacked to see how different the web was in early 2001. "iPod" did not refer to a music player, "youtube" was nonsense, and if you were looking for "Michael Phelps," chances are you meant the scientist, not the swimmer. "Wikipedia" was brand new. Remember "hanging chads"? (And speaking of that election-specific reference -- if you're a U.S. citizen, it's not too late: please register to vote.)

We had so much fun searching that we wanted to put this old index online for everyone to play with. We thought it'd be even cooler if we could actually see the full versions of the old web pages, so we worked with the Internet Archive to link to their cache of these pages from 2001. Step into the time machine and try a 2001 Google search.

For more information on this search, please read our FAQ.

Posted by Shirin Oskooi, Product Manager

Hmmm.... What to search for??? Something older than iPod, youtube and Wikipedia...? Hmmmm...
I know! I'll search for myself....

Results 1 - 10 of about 80 for Malachi de AElfweald. (0.01 seconds)

Hehe ;) Let's see... what's there... Oooh, Letter of Recommendation from the chair of the CS dept. I was listed as a Unix Wizard. And of course one of my favorite quotes of all time on our VAMPS (VAMPS Against Modern Political Systems - the political party I started and was registered with for about 10 years) guestbook:

Hehehe...VAMPS has a guestbook now? Excellent! I run an online index of political parties called The Political Lighthouse which has carried a listing for VAMPS since the last campaign. I was just dropping through while updating links. Thought you might like to know your party has more staying power than some of the big-name 3rd parties... like the Nazis and the Progressive Labour Party. Good luck in 2000!

Of course, it is always fun to look back at old webpages... like this one. To bad it can't access any of my old pages from 1993 :(

Mal

Project 10100

Project 10¹⁰⁰ is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible.

Jack Thompson disbarred permanently!

You might remember Jack Thompson from various posts such as this one and this one.

Per Slashdot, "The Florida Supreme Court has approved Judge Dava Tunis' recommendations for the permanent disbarment of John B. "Jack" Thompson, with no leave to reapply and $43,675.35 in disciplinary costs."

Score one for the good guys

Emotiv EPOC Delay

In an effort to ensure the highest levels of quality for our first consumer product, we are extending the testing phase of the EPOC. This is going to lengthen our release schedule and, as a result, we expect product to be shipping in 2009, rather than in time for the 2008 holiday season. We know many of you are anxious to order an EPOC and we’re anxious for you to experience it, so we will keep you informed of the availability details. As members of our “Emotivated” Facebook community (and EPOC Fan Page), you can get regular updates from our NewsFlash emails (http://emotiv.com/corporate/5_0/5_2.htm), as well as by checking the Emotiv website.




All the best,

The EmoDirect Team

iPhone mutilation

Well, after having to factory reset my iPhone (and thus loose all my data again since it refuses to even acknowledge the last 3 backups) for the 5th time in 2 weeks... I think it is time to burn, mutilate or destroy my iPhone.  I originally switched to it purely for the touchscreen as I had been wanting that for awhile.  There are others with touchscreens now, and chances are they don't require the dreaded evil broken iTunes crap.

So which phone to go with? Well, preference would be for something with 850/900/1800/1900, WiFi, touchscreen (I wish my SaveJe phone had a touchscreen), allow me to write my own applications [preferably Java] , USB, and preferably GPS.  Which camp do I go with this time?

There are quite a few Linux phones... soon to be Android and Java (again) phones... what to do what to do?

The Neo Freerunner is only $374. Basically the same price as the new iPhone, or my old one, or my old SaveJe phone.... It is linux based (which wouldn't be my preference, but it is better than windows-based). Although they are not using a Sun stack (I really want full JRE7 on it) they aparently have a Maven plugin you can use to package your java app for use on the phone:

We use the CacaoJVM as virtual machine and GNU Classpath as class library. With this we have a runtime which is a mostly Java SE 1.5 compatible in the areas an average developer works. Furthermore this combination has a fast JIT compiler and a acceptable small size. 

Definitely not ideal. In fact, it looks like it has some issues.

There is a list of which phones support which JSR... but, I want FULL JRE. Like SaveJe had. Which is now aparently JavaFX Mobile and it not currently available on any phones but was displayed at JavaOne with the previous Neo product (1973).

Phone died

This is the problem I had (but while installing some other app)... If you run into it as well, here was the solution that worked:
"1. Boot phone 2. Hold Power + Home until the screen goes BLACK 3. Continue to hold home and let go of power 4. Plug into iTunes (screen should still be BLACK) 5. Within 20 seconds it should come up in recovery mode 6. Let go of Home and hit RESTORE in iTunes."

Lost Contact

Over the years I have lost contact with quite a few people. Some of them I have managed to reconnect with (mostly through MySpace) and many I have yet to figure out how to locate.  On the off chance that one of them may do a Google search for themselves and come across my page mentioning them, I will list a few people here that I would like to make contact with again...

• Jeff Baxter - he was the assistant manager at Castle in Medford when we moved to Portland together. Worked for Stream for awhile.
• Juliana - she used to do spoken word at the Ohm in Portland back in 1999 or so. She used to live in an apartment down the street from Castle.
• Kathy Tiffee - my first girlfriend back in 7th/8th grade in Alturas
  
• Kari Tibbedeaux - dear friend of mine from Redding that moved to Portola
• Jenny Abeloe - my girlfriend when I graduated from SOU and when I moved to Portland

Apache Archiva

Today I was browsing through some of the more recent Apache projects, and came across Archiva. I decided to give it a whirl.

I didn't manage to get it to work as a windows service, and a few things (like uploading artifacts to it) were kinda slow, but overall I'd say it's pretty slick and definitely something I think I will use for awhile.

Go ahead and take a look at my setup instructions (which I honestly put together so I don't forget the steps when I go to do it at home) and give it a try. I think you'll like it.